


Extreme Speed

by Royal_Prussian_Fox



Series: Round [6]
Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Sorry Not Sorry, Too many puns, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24975349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Royal_Prussian_Fox/pseuds/Royal_Prussian_Fox
Summary: Red's travel plans in Sinnoh are unceremoniously hijacked when he accidentally runs into a kid in Jubilife City. Or, more accurately, when the kid runs into him.
Relationships: Red & Pearl (Pokemon Adventures)
Series: Round [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1002156
Comments: 17
Kudos: 48





	Extreme Speed

**Author's Note:**

> I actually started this fic around the beginning of the year, because for whatever reason, winter weather makes me want to write Red. I couldn't get it to go where I wanted it, so I had to let it steep for a bit. And now...! _gestures wildly at the word pile_
> 
> Set after ORAS and about a year before DPPt. This fic shouldn't spoil anything, but there are a few easter eggs for the DPPt chapter if you know where to look.
> 
> Comments always appreciated.

With a deafening roar, Arcanine launches itself forward in a mighty tackle. Hitmonchan is ready: it takes only a second to dodge, and Arcanine frantically skids to a halt when its attack completely whiffs. Hitmonchan leaps back into the fray, landing a flurry of lightning-quick punches that leave Arcanine staggering. Arcanine growls angrily, bares its teeth, and attempts a bite. But Hitmonchan dodges that attack, too, and Arcanine is left gnashing at air.

The announcer's voice rings out from the subway's speaker system. "Oh, my! Missed again! This looks like a bad Pokémon choice!"

The woman standing to Red's right titters. The man standing to Red's left harrumphs.

Red glances down the subway tunnel. With no subway immediately forthcoming, he turns his attention back to the monitor. Hitmonchan paces in place, as if daring Arcanine to come after it. Arcanine growls back, then spits out a hailstorm of embers. The flames fly through the battlefield like miniature rockets, but Hitmonchan is still too quick. Only a few of the flames find purchase, and the ones that do are weak, too weak to faze Hitmonchan in the least.

Hitmonchan sees an opening. It dashes forward to land the finishing blow — and that is when Red knows that Arcanine has won.

"Is this the end for Arcanine?" the announcer breathlessly declares. Hitmonchan's punch smashes into Arcanine's muzzle — but Arcanine doesn't even flinch, grabbing Hitmonchan's fist in its jaws, slamming Hitmonchan into the ground, and then unleashing a point-blank Fire Blast that drenches Hitmonchan's entire body in fire. When the flames finally ebb, Hitmonchan has been knocked out.

"Wow! It's a one-hit wonder!" the announcer roars. Over the loudspeakers, Red hears the stadium erupt into cheers. "What a stunning turn of events!"

Arcanine stands proudly beside its trainer, a brown-haired girl, as she lifts her arms in celebration.

"Folks, this tournament is just getting started, and the battles are already white-hot! Stand by, we'll have more coverage of the Twelfth Indigo League Tournament after this short break!"

The screen cuts to commercial. The subway comes alive with murmuring.

"Hoo boy, that trainer with the Arcanine really turned it around!"

"But — how? Hitmonchan was doing so well."

"Whatever it was, it was a real clever trick! Didja see the other guy? Looked like he'd swallowed a whole Watmel Berry!"

"That girl must be good. I bet she could even beat Crasher Wake!"

"Come on. Crasher Wake wouldn't lose to —"

The subway chooses that moment to roar into the station, drowning out the crowd's chattering. The doors hiss open, and Red is pulled into the car by the flow of people. A few seconds later, the doors close with a chime, and Red feels himself carried down the tunnel and into the heart of Jubilife City.

He'd only just arrived in Sinnoh late last night. He'd stayed at a dingy no-name hostel at the outskirts of Jubilife City — which was exactly how Red liked it. Luxury had never been a necessity for him, and at any rate, he had been much too occupied poring over maps and reading through books about the Sinnoh region for him to mind.

The mines in Oreburgh. The marsh of Pastoria. The Lost Tower near Hearthome. And of course, the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Coronet. The Sinnoh region is vast, more than even Kanto, filled with forests and canyons and mountains and Pokémon Red has yet to see, and Red has made it a point to see as many of them as possible. Even now, holding onto the metal railing and watching the tunnel blink by him, the promise of new experience calls out to him, and Red finds himself smiling almost giddily at the thought, as if the Sinnoh region is a continent-sized present, just waiting for Red to unwrap it. 

Red is the first one out when the subway finally arrives at the station. He takes two steps and is instantly bulldozed.

Red shakes himself. In front of him, a boy forces himself upright. "Owowowowow," he groans. Shakes himself. And in the time it takes for Red to open up his mouth to apologize, the other boy has already glared at Red, prostrated himself in apology, wrung his hands raw, snapped up a ticket from the ground and scrambled up off the pavement, all while attempting to speak but sounding to Red like he is hyperventilating.

"Watch it — I mean sorry, _so_ sorry, I'm in a hurry, really in a hurry, I have to go sorrywatchitgottagobye!"

And before Red can even begin to translate the onrush of syllables into words, the boy has already taken off down the tunnel and disappeared into the crowd, shouts of, "Slow down, kid!" trailing in his wake. Red very nearly wonders whether he had imagined the whole thing, except he is still lying on the tile. Also, his back hurts.

The ringing of his Pokégear snaps Red back into reality. He heaves himself upright, picking up his subway ticket and dusting himself off. He briefly looks in the direction the boy had run, but he's already completely vanished.

His Pokégear chimes a reminder at him. "Fine, fine," he grumbles to himself. He picks up. "Hello?"

"So, Sinnoh, huh?" Green's voice asks from the other end, almost casually indifferent. Unfortunately for Red, he has known Green long enough to know that Green's casually indifferent questions are neither casual, nor indifferent, and sometimes not even questions. Instead, they mean exactly one thing: Red's in trouble.

Red feels himself sweat. "Yeah. Sinnoh, huh." He punctuates it with a nervous chuckle.

"That's good. Having new experiences is great," Green continues, voice ominously even, evidently waiting to savor the moment when he finally drops the ten-ton weight on Red's head. "And you were going to tell me about this trip… when, exactly?"

And there it is. Red can't help but smile sheepishly. "Uh… Now? I… sorta decided spur-of-the-moment."

Green clicks his tongue. "Why does that not surprise me."

Red clicks his tongue back. "Because you're just as impulsive as I am, and we both know it?" he parries.

"Regardless," Green huffs, but doesn't argue, because Red is right and they both know it but Green won't admit it, and if that isn't the foundation of all good friendships, Red doesn't know what is. "How is it so far?"

Red ponders the question for a moment. "Cold," he finally decides.

"It's Sinnoh. In winter," Green points out.

"You asked me how it was!" Red protests, too loudly: the nearby pedestrians shoot him withering looks. Red winces. "I mean, it's only the first day, so I haven't seen much," he continues, quieter. "Jubilife City is pretty big. There's a lot to see."

"Jubilife City? I figured you'd be somewhere more… Well, you know. Out in nature."

"Well, I have to start somewhere, right? And it's not bad. It's so close to the nearby routes that it doesn't feel as big as it is." Red pauses, adjusting his cap. "It kind of reminds me of Viridian City a bit. Even the Indigo League's a big deal here."

"You've been watching, even in Sinnoh?"

"It's all over the television. Radio, too. Couldn't miss it if I tried," Red says with a shrug. No sooner does he say that than does he walk past another monitor — a boy and his Jumpluff have just claimed victory over a Slowbro, and the audience meets them with a raucous cheer. 

"You know, most people probably expected you to be there in person," Green says, again casually indifferent.

Red's response is curt. "Yeah, well, I'm in Sinnoh instead." He redirects the conversation. "What about you? Are you watching?"

"I wouldn't miss it," he says, apparently acquiescing to Red's unspoken request to change topics. "Even if all the trainers this year are all still wet behind the ears. When we took part, the competition wasn't as easy as it is now."

"I dunno. That trainer with the Arcanine had a pretty smart strategy."

"…It wasn't bad," Green is forced to concede, because the strategy _was_ pretty clever. Arcanine's biggest strength was its speed — an advantage matched by Hitmonchan's own. So instead of taking the fight to Hitmonchan, Arcanine and its trainer wisely decided to stand back, weakening Hitmonchan's blows with a pair of growls and a few burns for good measure. Then all they had to do was wait for Hitmonchan to come to them. And when it did, well — not many Pokémon can walk away from a full-strength Fire Blast to the face.

"But it's still not good enough to win the championship," Green insists.

"Maybe, maybe not. Every battle is different. You never know what's going to happen until you're standing on the battlefield."

Green hums in agreement. Both of them have been through plenty of Pokémon battles, and so when silence settles between them, Red only walks down the platform and lets the silence linger like a friend.

Green eventually speaks. "Hard to believe it's already been nine years since then."

"…Yeah," Red murmurs, after a pause. He had already known that; it's not hard to count. But he had known it in an academic way, the way you know that the ocean is vast even if you've never seen it — and now Red knows it as if he is standing on the sand, water rushing over his feet, watching the waves wash themselves into the sky, as if the world would fall away. It _has_ been nine years since then.

"Yeah," Red finally says again, the word somehow feeling heavier than it was before. "And look at what you've done since then. You became a gym leader."

"And look at what you've done since then. You became a hobo."

"Hey! I'm traveling — it's different," Red protests. He resettles himself into his coat. "Besides, Blue said traveling makes you worldly."

"Then you can be a very worldly hobo."

"Ha ha ha," Red grumbles. He steps up the stairs into the main hall of the subway station. Here, Jubilife City is fully alive, crowds of black-uniformed office workers schooling this way and that, some talking at their phones, others flicking through newspapers. Red lets himself be carried in the current alongside them. Kiosks filled with colorful snacks and kitschy knickknacks dot the hall. A pair of television monitors hang from either wall, the newest Indigo League battle on display. They're flanked by advertisements, flickering in artificial light: Torkoal-styled rice cookers, sneakers zigzagged by Pikachu tails, Devon Company's newest Poké Ball model.

"Have you ever wondered what you'd be doing if you weren't a Pokémon trainer?" Red asks, abruptly.

The other end of the conversation goes silent. Red can see Green now: studiously impartial, with one eyebrow raised, trying to figure out where Red's question is coming from.

"It's just a thought that popped into my head," Red reassures him, ambling over to one of the kiosks. "You know — you pointing out that our Indigo League battle was nine years ago made me think of it."

"…Does this have to do with you not being at the Indigo League?" Green ventures.

"It has to do with our battle being nine years ago, and being Pokémon trainers for even longer," Red huffs. "Answer the question."

Green takes a moment to respond. "I guess I never thought about it. So I don't really know."

"Me neither," Red admits. A figurine of a red, bug-like Pokémon that Red hasn't seen before catches his eye, and he absently picks it up and turns it in his hand. "I've been with Poli and Pika and everyone else for so long… it's hard to imagine doing anything else."

Green makes an affirmative-sounding noise. "Well. Isn't that a sign that means you're happy with it?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Red says, because it's the truth. He shrugs. "I wouldn't change anything. It was just a thought I had, that's all."

"You think too much," Green says dismissively.

Red frowns. "You used to make fun of me for not thinking."

"Don't worry. I never stopped."

"Glad we had this conversation," Red mutters. He sets the Pokémon figurine back onto the shelf. It instantly bursts into a screech.

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

Red instinctively reaches to cover his ears and promptly drops his Pokégear.

"…What was that?" Green's voice crackles from the floor.

Red scrambles to pick up his Pokégear, all while watching the Pokémon figure warily, as though it might bite him. "Nothing important. Just a —"

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_ the figure erupts again, and Red almost jumps through the roof.

"Doesn't sound like it's nothing," Green observes.

"It _is_ —!" Red protests, alternating between fumbling with his Pokégear in one hand and fumbling with the figurine in the other, frantically searching for a way to turn the thing off. "It's just — I don't know how to —"

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

"Okay, what did you do now?"

"What does _that_ mean? It's not like —"

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

"For the sake of my ears, I think I'm hanging up."

"No, wait — just give me —"

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

"Anyway, enjoy your time in Sinnoh. Don't forget to bring back souvenirs," Green finishes, and the line goes dead.

Red fumes. "Green, you —!"

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

Red finally finds a red button on the underside of the figure. He mashes it as if his life depends on it. Blessedly, the shrieking stops. Red breathes a sigh of relief.

The clerk looks Red over in amusement. "That Kricketune figure's one of our most popular ones. Would you like one for the road?"

Red glares at the figurine. He glares at his Pokégear, where Green's information is still splashed across the screen.

Red knows exactly which souvenir Green is getting.

A couple minutes later and one Kricketune figurine heavier, Red makes his way for the station exit. He'll soon be in the heart of Jubilife City. From here, he'll head due east to arrive at Route 203 — and then it's a straight shot to Oreburgh. He already finds his thoughts wandering. What will the city be like? What kind of Pokémon will he see? Will the city be like Pewter, slate gray and nestled at the base of a mighty mountain, or warm and earthy and home to lush greenery and steaming hot springs like Mt. Silver? Or, most enticingly, nothing like either of them at all?

The thought makes Red smile as he slips his ticket into the turnstile machine. He waits for the gate to swing open and allow him passage. And waits.

The machine finally blares an angry noise and spits the ticket back out at him.

"Ticket invalid," the machine intones.

"H-huh?" Red says aloud. He tries again. The machine spits his ticket back out again.

"Ticket invalid," the machine intones, again.

"B-but!" Red protests to nobody in particular. A line is starting to form behind him, filled with discontented murmuring.

A station officer saunters toward him and motions Red over. "What seems to be the problem?"

"It's my ticket," Red explains. "The machine won't take it."

Red hands the ticket to the officer, who proceeds to examine it with a leer and a scowl.

Finally, he gives a knowing chuckle. "Well, there's your problem."

"What is?"

"This here's a child ticket. It ain't supposed to take you past midtown."

Red shakes his head. "That can't be right."

"But it is. See?" The officer waves the ticket in front of Red's face. Red blinks at it. Sure enough, emblazoned in bold, blue print, the ticket reads, "CHILD FARE — NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DOWNTOWN SERVICE."

Red gawks at it. "But — that can't — that's not mine!" he protests.

"No kidding," the officer says, flatly.

Red sighs. "Fine, I'll just buy a new ticket."

"That's all fine and dandy, but the fare machines don't hand out tickets without proof of age." The officer waves the ticket in front of Red's face a second time. "So where'd ya get it?"

Red feels himself involuntarily tense at the implication. "Where'd I get it?" he repeats. He frowns and turns back toward the main hall. "I don't know. I bought a ticket. I got on the subway. I…" he trails off. He blinks.

And he sees a boy darting pell-mell through the crowds of people like a Zigzagoon after five cups of coffee. Red's brain helpfully informs him that he is, in fact, the same boy that Red had run into earlier that day. It far less helpfully does not inform him that he is standing right in the boy's path — and by that time, Red's fate has already been sealed.

Red slumps. " _Really?_ " he manages. And then he is bulldozed for the second time that day.

Red shakes himself. From his backpack comes a faint, " _delelelelewhoooop_."

"Owowowowow," the other boy groans, again. He rubs his head before glaring at Red. "Watch it! I mean, sorry! I'm —" he cuts himself off. He blinks. "You!"

"Yeah, me again," Red says, a bit more snappishly than he had intended, but after dealing with the Kricketune knickknack from hell, the case of the mysteriously transforming subway ticket, and now being bodied twice by the same kid because he couldn't be bothered to look both ways, even Red's patience is starting to wane. He fumbles through his backpack and manages to silence the Kricketune souvenir before it can shatter his eardrums again. "Look, I get that you're in a rush, but please watch where you're going, okay?"

The boy blinks back at him like a fish. Finally, his eyes go wide in realization — it is the expression that Red has seen so often that he has given it a name, the "Wait-A-Minute-You're- _That_ -Red!" expression.

"You — you're—!"

Red puts on his winning Champion's smile.

"You're the thief!"

Red blinks. " _Huh_?"

"Officer, it's got to be him!" the boy continues on, heedless of Red's rapidly growing confusion. "I had my ticket when I got on the subway. I only noticed it was gone after he ran into me!"

"After I ran into you?" Red parrots. " _You_ ran into _me_!"

"So that's how you got your hands on a child ticket," the officer notes.

"Huh? No," Red explains in exasperation. "Look, all that happened is that we ran into each other on the platform earlier. He took off before I could even get up off the floor. We probably just mixed the tickets up."

"No way! I had my ticket before and I don't now and that's why he has it because it's mine!" the boy objects. Red glances around them — a crowd has begun to form to gawk at the commotion. A few of them are pointing at Red and whispering to themselves. Red feels himself shrink.

"All right, the both of you, come with me," the officer announces, clapping his right hand on Red's shoulder and his left on the other boy's. He steers them toward the station office. The boy's head pokes out from behind the officer, glaring at Red like a hawk.

"But, I didn't…" Red protests feebly.

"Don't you worry!" the officer attempts to reassure Red, giving him a not-particularly reassuring slap on the shoulder. "So long as no-one did nothing, we'll get this all straightened out quicker than a Kricketune's cry!"

It's been less than one full day in Sinnoh, and already Red's dreams of mines and marshes and mountains are going up in smoke. He heaves a sigh, and tugs the straps of his backpack closer. He gets the feeling that today is going to be a very long day.

" _Delelelelewhoooop!_ "

* * *

"Both Pokémon are still raring to go! Who will win this clash of Steel against Steel?"

Red gazes at the screen, for lack of anything better to do. At this very moment, he could be spelunking through the Oreburgh underground. Instead, he's spent the better part of an hour watching Indigo League battles on the television inside a cramped station office, waiting for the station officers to figure out what to do with him and the other boy, when _clearly_ they had swapped tickets entirely on accident, and so _clearly_ all they needed to do is let them swap back, go on their merry way, and never see each other again.

But instead of swapping tickets, going on his merry way, and never seeing each other again, Red is sitting in a shoebox watching a trainer and his Magneton flail for a strategy to take down the opposing Forretress. Magneton launches a trio of beams from its body. Forretress dodges one, spins past the second, then throws up a protective barrier of light. The last ray glances off the shield, and Forretress quickly re-emerges from its shell to fire back its own ray of gleaming light, so bright that it forces Magneton back.

The other boy has seated himself as far from Red as possible. Unfortunately, the room is only two chairs wide, which means that "as far from Red as possible" is simultaneously "as close to Red as possible," and right at the sweet spot for maximum social awkwardness. Red supposes he should be grateful for the television for filling the empty space — without it, he'd have to decide between awkward silence and awkward attempts at conversation with the boy who very loudly and very wrongly incriminated him in front of hundreds of gawking onlookers.

Red would feel a lot more upset about that last bit if the other boy didn't look positively mortified. In stark contrast to the very public display of finger-pointing, since they'd been escorted into the office, he hadn't so much as glanced in Red's direction, let alone offered much in the way of conversation. Instead, he's been fully focused on clasping and unclasping his hands over and over again while his foot jackhammers away at the floor.

"Both sides are hanging in there! This one could go either way, folks — wait, what's this? Will this do it?"

Magneton recovers itself, gathering up its power into a crackling sphere of electrical energy, then lobs it across the battlefield as if from a catapult. There's more than enough time for Forretress to evade — which means there's more than enough time for Magneton to lock on to its target and launch a second volley. This time, Forretress is caught (figuratively) flat-footed. All it can do is brace itself before it takes the brunt of a mighty Zap Cannon, and topples to the ground.

"Whoa! Zapped by Zap Cannon! Is it down and out?"

Magneton's trainer strikes a victory pose — but Red shakes his head. Their celebrations are premature. Not a second later, Forretress opens its eyes and launches itself from the ground like a cannonball, ramming into Magneton with a mighty crash. Magneton staggers unsteadily downward, struggles to regain its balance — then collapses onto the floor.

There's a moment of stunned silence on the television before the stadium roars back to life.

"Wow! And there goes the battle!" the announcer declares, barely audible over the din of the stadium. On the screen, Magneton's trainer slumps onto his knees in disbelief. "Who knew — who could have foreseen this?"

Magneton's trainer certainly hadn't, but Red had. Most Pokémon couldn't survive a locked-on Zap Cannon, a fact Magneton's trainer must have been counting on to win the day. Unfortunately for him, most Pokémon weren't a Forretress with full health and the Sturdy ability. Forretress chose to bide its time, and when the Zap Cannon finally came, Forretress hoisted Magneton on its own petard.

The backroom door swings open. "All right, the two of you," the station officer says by way of preamble.

The other boy jumps upright, scuffs the chair against the tile, and nearly trips over his feet, all before Red has even begun to lift himself from his seat. "What did —" he warbles. "I mean, did you —? Are we —?"

"Slow down, slow down, before you hurt yourself," the officer chortles. "We looked into it. You bought your tickets when you said you did, and you took the trips you said you did. So both of you got the all-clear."

The boy immediately brightens in relief.

"So don't go running around accusing folks of things they haven't done."

The boy immediately deflates.

"And don't go running into folks like you get points for it."

The boy deflates further.

The officer turns to Red. "And you, be more mindful of your surroundings, you hear?" he advises him, as if Red was the one who had decided to try and set a new land-speed record for sprinting through the subway underground. That said, it's probably not a good idea to bite the hand of the person who's finally letting him go, so Red bites back the very witty retort he had planned and simply nods back at him.

"Well, glad we could get this big old misunderstanding straightened out," the officer declares, clapping his hands together, clearly pleased with himself, because it _is_ a big old misunderstanding, which is exactly what Red _said_ it was, right from the very beginning, and now he's burned a solid hour of his day waiting for everybody else to figure that out.

"Let's get the both of you on your way, then," the officer announces, and Red doesn't need much more prompting to leave that cramped office and comedy of errors behind him. The other boy silently follows him out, thoughts clearly elsewhere, and apparently content to go on his way without saying another word. Not that Red minds — his own thoughts are going over the remainder of this trip. He'll have to hustle, but he can probably still make it to Oreburgh Gate before dark. Pika can help find their way through the cave, and while that means Red likely won't have a chance to explore the mines today, there's always tomorrow. After all, Mt. Coronet isn't too far off — he could probably do both in the same day if —

"Um!"

Red turns. He had all but expected them to go on their separate ways — but there the other boy stands, clutching the strap of his bag as if it was a life raft. His gaze is directed steadfastly toward the ground, but his face is scrunched into a determined frown. He finally looks at Red.

"I wanted to apologize," he announces.

Red blinks. He hadn't expected this. "Oh. Okay. Well, thank you for —"

The other boy drops to his knees, flings his head down onto the pavement, and begins groveling at Red's feet. "I'm really, really, really, really —"

"H-hey, what?" Red stammers.

"— really, really, really, _really_ —"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Red manages, shaking him on the shoulder. He glances around — for the second time in as many hours, passerby are stopping to gawk at them. "That isn't really necessary."

The boy looks up at him, completely serious. "I have to apologize," he informs Red, as if it hadn't been immediately obvious to everyone that that was what he was doing.

"Okay, but the kneeling's a bit much, isn't it?"

The boy looks away. "But I — I shouldn't have — I said —"

Red takes pity on him. He breathes a sigh. "What's your name?"

"Pearl."

"Look, Pearl," he begins, pulling the other boy to his feet. "I can't say I'm happy about you knocking me over. Or knocking me over again. Or accusing me of being a thief. Or — well. You know." Red shakes his head. "But a lot of people wouldn't go out of their way to apologize for being wrong. That's something that takes a lot of willpower — and I respect you for doing that."

Pearl doesn't look like he believes him.

"What's important is learning from your mistakes," Red continues. "Taking action is one thing. Being reckless is another. That's something I once had to learn, too." After all, Red _was_ once too reckless — or, according to Green, still too reckless.

Pearl doesn't say anything for a moment. Finally, he bows deep at the waist. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks for the apology," Red says back with a smile. "Safe travels, okay?" He raises a hand to wave goodbye — and the lights instantly go out.

At this point, Red can't be bothered to fight back a groan. "What _now_?" he demands — although with the sudden lack of light, monitors going dark, and the distinct lack of mechanical humming in the background, Red has a very good idea of what now.

"Sonuva —" the station officer from earlier growls. He finally manages to pry the office's sliding door open.

"Hey, officer, what's going on?" Pearl asks.

"Ain't it obvious? Power's gone out. Kaput. Deader than a Duskull using Destiny Bond."

"No way," Pearl says in disbelief.

"Well, golly, don't take my word for it. You try taking a subway and see what happens."

Pearl starts. "Wait — you mean the subways aren't running?"

"Oh, sure. They're running, alright."

Pearl brightens. "Really?"

"Yeah, if we all get out and push," the officer deadpans. "You can be the first."

"N-no, thank you," Pearl stammers.

Red reaches for Pika's Poké Ball. "Maybe Pika and I can help."

"Hell no!" the officer can't object fast enough, glaring at Pika through the Poké Ball as though Pika might zap him. (To be fair, Pika definitely might.) "Last thing I need right now is another Volkner on my hands. Knocking out the grid from all the way on the other side of Sinnoh — this is the third time this month!"

"There's got to be something we can do," Red offers.

"What you can do is get in line. 'Cuz there ain't nothing _to_ do but shove a boot up —" A chime from the speaker system interrupts him. The officer growls. "Aw, hell. Gotta get to the platform."

"Will it be fixed soon?" Pearl ventures.

The officer gives Pearl a look. "Hah. You're funny, kid. Exit's that way," he says with a jab of a thumb, before rushing down the darkened hall.

Red sighs and shakes his head. "Jeez, today's just been one thing after another." He steals a glance at Pearl — and whereas Red's mood could best be summed up as mildly annoyed, Pearl's expression looks as if it has already departed "mildly annoyed" and is now rapidly approaching "pure panic."

"Er — are you all right?" Red offers hesitantly.

"Am I all right?" Pearl wails, hands pressed so tightly to his head they're on the verge of leaving marks. "This was supposed to — I was going to — how do I —"

Red feels his own head begin to spin. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, take a breath!"

Pearl nods. He takes a breath, and pulls his hands away from his head, where his hands are no longer on the verge of leaving marks because they have already successfully left marks. He takes another breath.

"Start from the beginning."

Pearl nods again. "Okay. So I live in Twinleaf Town, right? It's a couple routes down from here. I know the way — I've been to Jubilife City before, but always with my mom. This is my first time by myself, and I promised I'd be back by dark."

"Oh. I can see why that's a problem."

Pearl nods frantically. "The only way I can get home in time is by subway."

Red thinks to himself. "That can't be right."

"Why not?"

"Well. There's got to be _some_ way."

Pearl nearly falls over. "This isn't the time for manzai!"

Red blinks. "Time for — what? Anyway, isn't there a bus or something?"

Pearl shakes his head. "Nope."

"If only there hadn't been a power outage," Red sighs.

"Of all the times to lose electricity…!"

"…Yeah. Even I'm at a loss."

Pearl nearly falls over again. A passing woman gives an undignified snort.

Pearl scrambles upright. "Stop joking around!" he demands.

"I'm not — what'd I do?" Red quails.

Pearl ignores Red's confusion. "I have to get home. I have to keep my promise."

"I'm sure your mom would understand that it's not your fault if you're late?"

Pearl shakes his head furiously. "No — it's not just that. I made a promise to my best friend," and here Pearl pauses, frowning, the apparent weight of that statement enough to make even Pearl's words stop themselves in their tracks. "I have to get to Jubilife City and back," he finally says. "That's the only way I can keep the promise I made."

Red considers the blond-haired boy, standing tall, hands clutched tight, determination in his eyes. Red knows something of best friends and keeping promises.

"…There's always above ground," Red decides.

"You mean walking?" Pearl lets out a shaky laugh. "There's no way I'll get there in time."

"Actually," Red clarifies. Pearl gives him a quizzical look. Red breaks into a smile. "I was thinking of something a little bit higher."

* * *

"So when you said a little bit higher…" Pearl trails off. He gulps.

"Yeah?" Red answers from above him.

"You didn't say we'd be flying a hundred feet in the air!" Pearl explodes, legs furiously windmilling in the sky. He jostles in Red's grip, which means that Red jostles in Aero's. Aero screeches in surprise.

"Hey, hey! Don't squirm like that or Aero'll drop us!" Red protests. Pearl quiets obligingly, and Red takes the opportunity to readjust his hold on Pearl's shoulders. "You told me you weren't afraid of heights."

"I'm not!" Pearl insists. "It's just…" he trails off, letting his gaze trail to the ground — which is apparently a bad idea, because he shudders so violently that Red has to scramble to keep his hold. "It's hard not to feel a little nervous when the only thing between me and the ground way down there is how good you are at holding onto my shoulders."

Aero's talons dig into Red's skin. Red winces. "Believe me, you got the better end of the deal."

"…And you didn't have to go out of your way to do this, either," Pearl adds, more quietly this time, and even though Red isn't an expert at reading people, even he can hear the unspoken, "Especially after what I did."

Red hums. "Well, my original plan was to go to Oreburgh. But I've never been to Sinnoh before. So exploring this area is a new experience for me, too."

"You're not from Sinnoh?" Pearl asks. "Where are you from?"

Red is caught off-guard — by this point, he just assumes that everyone already knows where he's from. "Oh, sorry. Guess I forgot," he laughs self-deprecatingly.

"You forgot where you're from?" Pearl demands, incredulous.

"No, no! Forgot to mention it!" Red clarifies for him, because if there's one thing Red's discovered about being crowned the Indigo League's youngest-ever Champion, it's that everyone thinks they know him already. "Name's Red. I'm from Pallet Town, in Kanto."

Red can see the gears in Pearl's head churning. They finally come to a stop — and _this_ time, Pearl's eyes light up with what is very probably the "Wait-A-Minute-You're- _That_ -Red!" expression.

"There's no way…" Pearl breathes.

Red puts on his winning Champion's smile.

"…That you're from Kanto!" Pearl declares.

Red blinks. " _Buh_?"

"The Indigo League's going on right now. If you were _really_ from Kanto, you'd be there watching instead of here in Sinnoh," Pearl states, as though it's as obvious as a Geodude being made of rock, and with just as much delicacy as being hit over the head with one.

"Maybe not everybody wants to watch the Indigo League?" Red offers.

Pearl shrugs. "Yeah, but everyone thinks it's important here. So it must be even more important in Kanto. And you look like a Pokémon trainer — right?"

"Well, yeah," Red answers. He looks himself over self-consciously. He's never given much thought as to what a Pokémon trainer looks like, but apparently he fits the description to a tee — whatever that description is. Red isn't sure whether he is relieved or disturbed by this fact.

"So why would a Pokémon trainer from Kanto miss the biggest event for Pokémon trainers in years?" Pearl concludes, as though his case is completely airtight, and even Red has to admit that his logic isn't _completely_ wrong. Most people would probably expect the youngest-ever Indigo League champion to at least show up in the stadium to watch. And yet, truthfully, Red hadn't even considered it.

"It would be like me missing a Comedy Grand Prix," Pearl carries on, oblivious to Red's musings. "And I wouldn't miss a Comedy Grand Prix," Pearl adds, as though that would be a trespass punishable by being crushed by a Snorlax. Repeatedly and often.

"What's a Comedy Grand Prix?"

"It's a comedy competition — they hold it in Jubilife City every month. I haven't missed one for three years," Pearl declares with a puffed-out chest, or as much as he can puff out his chest while Red is holding onto him from above and they're both flying through the air. "I'm just watching right now. But someday soon, I'm going to compete. And me and my best friend — we're going to keep our promise to be the best comedy duo in the world!"

"The best… comedy duo?" Red parrots, as if he's saying the phrase "comedy duo" for the first time, because he is. (Although Blue had once used it to describe him and Green, and Red _thinks_ she was joking — but with Blue you can never be sure.)

"Yup! It's been our dream ever since we were kids."

"I see," Red says, even though Red, who has only ever wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, does not see. Everyone has dreams, of course, and there are as many dreams in the world as there are people and Pokémon. But when Red was Pearl's age, he was chasing after a glimpse of glowing light — and nearly ten years later, even as the world and the people around him change and move on, he still is.

"That's why I was in Jubilife," Pearl carries on. "And that's why I'm really thankful for you and Aerodactyl helping me get home."

Red shakes himself from his thoughts. "It's nothing, really. And Aero doesn't mind," Red reassures him. Aero screeches his agreement. (Although screeches are the only sound Aero is capable of, Red's pretty sure this one means agreement.) "What about you? Do you have any Pokémon of your own?" Red asks.

"Just Chatler," Pearl says. He grabs a Poké Ball. "Wanna see him?"

Red panics. He doesn't know what a Chatler is, but unless it can fly, it's about to stop being a Chatler and start being a pancake. "Wait! If you —"

The Pokémon appears in a flash of light, and instead of instantly plummeting to the ground, it flaps its wings with a flourish and then settles into place alongside them.

Red breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh. It's a Flying-type."

"Yeah — Chatler is a Chatot," Pearl says of the bird Pokémon with the rainbow feathers and music-note head fluttering next to them. "Say hello, Chatler!"

"Hello! Hello!" Chatler parrots.

"It can talk?" Red wonders.

"Chatot can remember and repeat the words and sounds they hear," Pearl explains. "Chatler's the best at it."

"The best! The best!" Chatler agrees.

"That's pretty impressive," Red murmurs.

"Isn't he? And he helps me practice my routine, too."

Red can't help but smile. "There's nothing like a partner Pokémon to be at your side."

Pearl nods, proud. "Yep. Chatler's always ready to help. That's why he's so great."

"So why didn't you ask Chatler to fly you back home?" Red wonders.

Pearl raises a finger. "That's because —" He stops. His eyebrows furrow. His eyebrows furrow more. His eyebrows furrow so much that Red thinks they might fall off his face.

"I… didn't think about that," Pearl confesses.

"Didn't think! Didn't think!" Chatler agrees.

"Ack! Don't repeat that, birdbrain!"

"Birdbrain, birdbrain!"

Pearl looks ready to leap out of Red's arms and lunge at Chatler.

"Hey, hey, what'd I say about the squirming?" Red frantically reminds him.

Pearl sulks. "Betrayed by my own Pokémon."

"It happens," Red says with a good-natured laugh. "Besides, it's all on the road to stardom, right?"

"Star! Star!" Chatler parrots.

"See? Even Chatler agrees," Red tells him.

Pearl still looks betrayed.

"Star! Star!" Chatler squawks again. "Star! Star!"

Red frowns. "Is he… stuck?"

Pearl shakes his head. "He usually moves on to a new phrase by now."

Chatler squawks and swoops in front of them. "Star! Star!" he repeats, urgently. He swoops behind them. Red turns his head to follow.

"Oh," Red observes. "There's a flock of bird Pokémon flying toward us."

"They're Staravia," Pearl supplies. "They look like they're in attack formation."

"So that's why Chatler was repeating, 'Star, Star,'" Red realizes.

"That's probably right," Pearl agrees.

A beat.

"Wait — _attack formation_?" Red demands.

"Flying toward _us_?" Pearl parrots.

"Birdbrain! Birdbrain!" Chatler repeats.

"Chatler was trying to warn us. We're probably flying through their territory," Red says, looking to the twenty-something Staravia rapidly gaining on them — and the one Staravia leading the charge has a glint in its eye that Red does not find particularly reassuring. "Aero! Drop below the trees! Hold on tight!"

Aero gives a cry of agreement. Red prepares himself for Aero's screech and sudden lurch downward. And waits.

"We're… not falling?" Pearl wonders.

Red is struck by realization. "Aero's not used to carrying two people."

Pearl gulps. "What does that mean?"

"It means we're not falling as fast as we need to."

"You mean we won't make it below the tree line?"

"Yeah. Looks like that plan won't line up."

Pearl makes a strangled-sounding noise. "This isn't the time for manzai!"

"Wha — manzai?" Red shakes himself. "All I'm saying is —" he cuts himself off. A clearing is laid out on the forest floor below them. It's small, and still some distance away. But it's an opportunity. "Aero! New plan! Make for the clearing!"

"The clearing?" Pearl wonders. "But why?"

"It's a chance to get clear of the Staravia."

Pearl makes a second strangled-sounding noise. Aero gives an undignified snort.

Pearl recovers himself. "You're doing this on purpose," he wails.

"Doing _what_ on purpose?" Red wails back. He glances behind them. It won't take much longer before the Staravia come within attacking range. "Look, if we can make it to the clearing, we'll be fine. But we need to buy time. Can Chatler fight?"

"You bet," Pearl declares without hesitation, and Red might ordinarily worry about the battling capabilities of an aspiring comedian's Pokémon, but he doesn't have the luxury to worry right now. Whatever skills they've got, they'll have to do.

"Chatler just needs to slow them down however he can until we get near the clearing. Can you do that?"

"You heard him, Chatler," Pearl says to the Pokémon, and Chatler wastes no time in darting toward the Staravia flock. They startle, apparently not expecting a frontal assault. Chatler gives a cry, and a pair of Staravia in the middle of the flock swerve toward each other, conk themselves on the head, and slowly flutter toward the ground. The two Staravia behind them, now completely separated from the rest, frantically turn tail and flee.

"Nice Chatter, Chatler!" Pearl calls out. "Now give 'em a Wing Attack!"

Chatler swoops in to deliver a blow with his wings. But the Staravia are prepared now. They instantly split apart into two groups, and just as instantly re-surround Chatler in a tight ring. Chatler tries to escape, but the Staravia move as one, matching his every move. They stretch out their wings.

Pearl pales. "Oh no."

"What's wrong?"

"They're going to use Whirlwind. Chatler, Mirror Move!"

The Staravia whip up the air into a frenzy. Chatler makes a valiant effort to match the whirlwind — but the combined attack from the Staravia overpowers him, and flings him through the air until he crashes headfirst into Aero. Aero growls and wobbles. Red grits his teeth.

"Ouchie! Ouchie!" Chatler mutters.

"I — I don't think Chatler can fight anymore," Pearl says, recalling Chatler into his Poké Ball.

"That's okay. We're almost there," Red says. "Pearl — the middle Poké Ball on my right. Can you grab it?"

"Uh! Let me — okay. I have it!"

"Good. Once we're right in the middle of the clearing, you need to press the button on the Poké Ball."

"Okay."

"And then Aero's going to drop us and we'll fall to the ground."

"Right," Pearl says with a nod. He blinks. "Wait, _what_?" he screeches.

"Ready?"

"No!"

"Here goes!"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwai —"

Aero detaches Red from his talons — and Red and Pearl both go into free fall.

"I said I wasn't ready!"

"Pearl! The Poké Ball!"

"O-okay!" Pearl stammers. He fumbles for the button — then presses it.

"Snoooooor," Snor announces, right before he falls onto the forest floor with a tremendous clamor. A plume of dust is catapulted up into the air. Snor idly scratches his belly. "Laaaaax."

Not a few moments later, Red and Pearl meet with Snor's stomach. The elastic-like surface breaks their fall, then bounces them off and onto the ground. Red promptly tucks into a roll and springs to his feet. Pearl promptly face-plants onto the ground. 

Red rushes over to help Pearl up. "Hey! Are you all right?"

"Bluuurghhhh," Pearl responds. He shakes himself, but manages to stand on his own. "Well, you know. What doesn't kill you."

"Makes you stronger?" Red offers.

"It just doesn't kill you."

A series of cries ring out from above them. A cloud of Staravia is descending from the sky, still chasing after them.

"They're still after us?" Pearl moans.

"Not for long!" Red flings a third Poké Ball into the air. "Gyara! Aero! Go!"

Gyara appears with a roar. A ball of light begins to grow and form in his mouth. And high above them, from the opposite direction, another ball of light appears in Aero's.

"You can't be — _Hyper Beam_?" Pearl quails. "Here? _Now_?"

"Now!" Red commands, and the pair of energy beams are released, hurtling past the Staravia and toward the air above the clearing. The Staravia flock startles and scatters to the seven winds — right before the beams collide in a percussive explosion. The shockwave blasts past them, shredding leaves from the trees, and sending stones tumbling into tree trunks before finally terminating in a reverberating boom.

The air is dead silent. Next to him, Pearl looks stunned: his scarf has flung itself behind his back, and a thin layer of dirt coats his pants. A leaf has affixed itself in his hair.

"You've got something in your hair," Red helpfully points out.

"Oh. Uh. Yeah," Pearl mumbles, seemingly to himself. He mechanically runs a hand through his hair. "You know. I think… I'm just going to sit down for a bit."

Red lifts his arms in a stretch. "Yeah. Maybe a break would be a good idea." Gyara rumbles toward him, and Aero alights from the sky. Red rubs Aero's head. "Good work scaring them off, everyone. And thanks for the lift, Aero."

He turns back to Pearl, who has plopped himself down right on the dirt. Red coughs. "You know, Snor is pretty comfy, if you'd rather lean up against him."

Pearl does not answer, only staring into the distance at nothing in particular.

Red shrugs. "Suit yourself."

"Wait!" Pearl cries out, scrambling to his feet.

Red grins. "I knew that you'd come around. See —"

"What are we doing?" Pearl interrupts him, frantically.

Red tilts his head. "…Taking a break?"

"Why are we taking a break? Who said we could take a break?"

"Uh. You did?"

Pearl clutches his head with his hands. "What's _wrong_ with me?"

Red sneaks a glance at Gyara and Aero. They look just as bewildered as Red feels.

Pearl shakes himself. "We have to keep going!"

"But I thought you wanted to —"

"We don't have time to just be sitting around!"

"We made pretty good time earlier. We can probably afford a quick —"

"No breaks!" Pearl declares. "We can take a break when we're done!"

Red sneaks another glance at Gyara and Aero. They still look just as bewildered as Red feels.

"We have to get home. I have to keep my promise!" Pearl insists. He does a 360-degree scan of the forest surrounding them, apparently trying so hard to find a way home that he may succeed in becoming the first human to use Rapid Spin.

In spite of himself, Red smiles. "You don't do anything halfway, do you?"

Pearl looks affronted by the mere suggestion. "No way!" he objects, freezing mid-Rapid Spin, with one leg off the ground and head swiveled back toward Red like a particularly flexible owl's. Despite looking as if his spine might snap at any moment, Pearl's answer is firm. "If you only give half an effort, you'll only reach half your goal. So no matter what you do, you have to give it your all."

The answer reminds Red of his adventures before winning the Pokémon League — back when winning the Pokémon League was all that mattered.

"Then we'd better keep going," Red finally says. He looks up to the sky, where the sun has already passed its peak. "You said Twinleaf Town is south, right? So that's… somewhere in that direction," Red decides. He points out a chunk of forest that looks decidedly darker and denser than the rest.

Pearl looks on warily. "Is it really the only way?"

"We could take to the air again."

Pearl blanches.

"Or not," Red adds. "Besides, the Staravia might get angry at us again if we fly through their territory."

Pearl gazes into the branches and brambles ahead of them. Finally, he draws himself up. "Then what are we waiting for? We won't be stopped by a bunch of leaves and thickets."

Red nods back at him. "That's the ticket!"

Pearl responds by falling flat on his face. Red does not think that is a very good start.

* * *

Fortunately, the densest portion of the forest doesn't last long. For around a half-hour, Red and Pearl traverse fallen logs and wade through tangles of shrubs. They duck underneath weighty tree branches, and slip past wiry ropes of ivy. And though Red had originally imagined that he would be clambering across slabs of dusty stone instead of mossy soil, the crisp earthiness of the forest is enough to remind him of the many memories wandering the woods back in Kanto.

When the woods finally begin to thin, Red emerges from the trees with a buoyant grin. He takes a deep breath of the crisp air, and stretches his arms. "Well, that was refreshing."

Behind him, Pearl drags himself from the bushes. "It could've been worse," he halfheartedly agrees. He pushes aside a branch to allow him passage. As if a parting gift, it snaps back into his stomach. "Hrk! …Like that."

"Are you okay?"

Pearl grimaces, but nods anyway. "I don't mind the outdoors — I've been camping before. But I'm not used to it being _this_ …" he trails off. He waves his hands expansively, and promptly winces. "Ow."

"I guess I'm just used to it by now," Red admits. "Do you need a breather?"

"No breaks," Pearl insists, stubbornly attempting to mask his panting breaths, and failing utterly.

Red shakes his head. "Look, it's good to keep moving forward. But it's also important to know your limits."

"But I can't waste time," Pearl protests.

"Who said anything about wasting time? Now that the trees have thinned, Saur can give you a ride."

Pearl is instantly on-guard. "Another Flying-type?"

Red waves his hands frantically. "Saur is entirely land-based," Red reassures him, and releases Saur before Pearl can protest any further. Saur shakes himself, stretches, and takes a deep breath of the forest air. He looks at Pearl curiously.

Pearl looks back even more curiously. "…What kind of Pokémon…?" he wonders.

"Saur is a Venusaur — they're native to Kanto," Red explains. "Saur, this is Pearl. Pearl, meet Saur."

Saur grunts and extends a vine in greeting. Pearl looks unsure of what to do at first, but finally takes Venusaur's vine in hand and shakes. 

Red grins. "Now you're friends!" He turns to Saur. "Hey, Saur. Would you mind giving Pearl a ride for a bit?"

Saur nods. He sidles up to Pearl, who still looks skeptical. "I'm fine, really —" is about as far as he gets before Saur, with a roll of his eyes, grabs Pearl by the torso with his vines and unceremoniously deposits him on his back.

Pearl weakly protests, but makes no move to escape.

"And now that the forest has cleared, we should make good time."

Pearl heaves a sigh. "You're getting fined for this," he mutters.

Red laughs sheepishly. "I guess I just didn't _find_ you very convincing."

Pearl just about collapses. "This isn't the time for manzai!"

"Wha — manzai?" Red shakes himself. "Anyway, the point is, you want to get home as soon as possible, right? Saur is quicker than walking."

"But I can walk on my own."

"You were completely out of breath after than branch smacked you."

"…I guess it still does hurt a little."

Red nods. "Yeah. Better Saur than sore, right?"

Pearl just about collapses again. Saur gives an undignified snort.

Pearl whirls on Red furiously. "Okay, you _have_ to be doing this on purpose!" he exclaims, completely exasperated.

"Doing _what_ on purpose?" Red exclaims, by now exasperated in equal part.

Pearl waves his wands wildly. "You know! Manzai!"

Red doesn't know. "Manzai? What's that?"

"What — you don't? Know?" Pearl sputters. "Manzai?" he squeaks.

Red shakes his head. "Is it a Pokémon move?"

Pearl seems to stop operating altogether.

"Er… Pearl?"

"I can't believe…" he mutters to himself. His face sports a revolving door of emotions, as though he can't decide which one to feel and has instead decided to feel all of them, all at once.

"How can you not know manzai?" he finally bursts out, in some precise mixture of anger, surprise, despair, and genuine curiosity that will likely never be precisely duplicated again.

Red shrugs helplessly. "World's a big place. Can't know everything, right?"

"But — it's _manzai_!" he protests, as if that single word is all that he needs to say, and the knowledge will magically impart itself upon Red.

"Well… maybe you could explain it to me?"

Pearl instantly looks fired-up. Red wonders if he's just made a tremendous mistake.

"Manzai is a type of comedy!" Pearl announces with blazing intensity. "It has appeal to everyone. It's both simple and complex! Straightforward but profound. Subtle yet… unsubtle!"

"Er… I understand?" Red says, very much not understanding at all. He glances at Saur to see if Saur understands it any better. Saur simply makes the barest shrug, as if to say that Red had asked for it.

"It all comes down to two roles. First, the straight man! Second, the funny man!"

"If it's comedy, wouldn't you only need the funny man?"

"Absolutely not!" Pearl thunders. Red recoils. "Each of the roles is just as important as the other. The humor comes from how the straight man and the funny man play off each other. It doesn't work with only one person. You have to have two."

A lightbulb goes off in Red's head. "So the type of comedy you and your friend are practicing — it's manzai?"

"Uh-huh. I play the straight man, of course," Pearl says, proudly. "He's the funny man."

"How did you decide?"

"I decided!"

"Can you just decide something like that…?"

Pearl ignores him. "The two of us haven't practiced in a while — he's on a trip with his mom somewhere. But you better believe we'll be making up for lost time when he gets back. We'll be practicing full-time! No, double-time!"

"Uh. I see," Red manages. He's still not quite sure he understands exactly what manzai is, except that Pearl's enthusiasm for it is staggering.

Pearl, for his part, has suddenly taken on a serious expression, as though considering a thought of tremendous gravity. He suddenly smacks his fist into his hand.

"I've got it!" Pearl declares, and Red suddenly feels the same sensation as when the opponent's Pokémon is about to score a critical hit. "You'll practice with me!"

"H-huh?" Red stammers.

"You can think about it all you want, but there's no better way to learn than by doing. This way you can learn manzai firsthand!" Pearl says, as though this was inevitable from the very moment Red asked Pearl that question — and now that Red thinks about it, this _was_ probably inevitable from the very moment Red asked Pearl that question.

"Well, okay, I guess," Red relents. He's immediately greeted with a notebook to the face. "H-hey, what's —"

"It's my manzai notebook!" Pearl is proud to declare. "It's got all the jokes I've been workshopping."

Red peels the book from his face. It's a simple ringed notebook, but it has a hastily scribbled doodle of Pearl's face on the front, and a bunch of squiggly lines that look like letters if Red squints hard enough. "Er… This is —"

"We'll get started right away! You'll be the funny man, of course."

"Why me?" Red protests.

"Because you're a natural for it!"

Red isn't sure how to feel about that.

"So enough with the waiting! Let's start on… page five!"

Red frowns. "Don't you need to see your lines?"

"Are you kidding? I've got everything in there memorized already!" Pearl says, chest puffed with pride. "Now! Page! Five!" he demands.

"Okay, okay!" Red acquiesces, hurriedly flipping through the pages. He finally arrives at page five. He stares at the paper. The scrambled lettering is barely decipherable. "Uh…" Red mumbles to himself. Off to the side, Saur gives him a pitying look.

"Let's begin," Pearl says, clearing his throat. "Speaking of Pokémon!" he announces.

Red clears his own throat. "Speaking… of Pokémon?" Red ventures.

"They come in so many types."

"You bet."

"There's burning Fire-type… freezing Ice-type… Can you name them all?"

Red feels offended. "Of course I can. There's Normal, Fighting, Bug —"

Pearl smacks him. "Stop! What are you doing?" he demands.

"H-huh? …Naming the types like you asked?"

Pearl groans and puts a hand to his forehead. "That wasn't your line! You were _supposed_ to say, 'Shocking Electric-type.'"

"Okay, fine. There's shocking Electric-type, Normal, Fighting, Bug —"

"Aughhhhh," Pearl groans again. "I'm not _asking_ asking you — it's all part of the set-up to the joke."

"Oh."

"We're not practicing improv today, so just — stick to your lines, okay?"

"Fine, sheesh," Red mutters. He rubs the back of his head where Pearl smacked him. Pearl is stronger than he looks.

"All right, let's start over!" Pearl announces. He clears his throat. "Speaking of Pokémon!"

"Speaking of Pokémon!" Red chimes in.

"They come in so many types."

"You bet."

"There's burning Fire-type… freezing Ice-type… Can you name them all?"

Red reads the writing as best he can. "Shocking Electric-type… And. Er… I can't think of the rest."

"You really can't?"

The next set of scribbles is helpfully labelled 'punchline' in big, blocky letters. Red takes a breath.

"What can I say? I guess I'm just not the _studious_ type." 

Red blinks. He doesn't get it.

Pearl smacks him.

"H-hey! What was that for? I read the line like you said!"

Pearl nods approvingly. "Yup. That's why I smacked you."

Red's brain breaks. "… _Huh_?"

Pearl looks back at him incredulously. "That's how manzai works! It's the funny man's job to say the funny line. And when he does that, it's the straight man's job to smack him!"

"But… but I don't want to get hit!" Red protests.

"You agreed to be the funny man!" Pearl protests back.

"You didn't tell me the funny man gets hit!" Red protests back, back.

"Are you going back on your word?"

"Well, no — but —"

Pearl verbally steamrolls him. "Then onto the next one! Speaking of Pokémon!"

"Huh? I'm not —"

"Speaking. Of. Pokémon," Pearl insists.

Red hastily fumbles with the page. "Er. Speaking of Pokémon."

"You can teach them moves with machines!"

"And some moves can even help you get around."

"For example, if you teach a Pokémon Surf, you can ride on its back across the ocean."

"Unless you make a Dragonite angry. Then —"

Pearl silences him with a death glare.

"— Er, I mean… Rock Smash breaks boulders! And small trees get chopped down by Cut!"

"Wow. You may not know your types, but you sure know your Pokémon moves!"

The next set of scribbles is again helpfully labelled 'punchline'. Red takes a breath.

"When it comes to moves, I'm a _cut_ above the rest!"

Red is prepared this time. He ducks. Pearl's attack misses.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Pearl objects.

"But — you were going to hit me!" Red counters.

"As part of the _joke_ ," Pearl clarifies, as though that makes any difference. "It's funny," Pearl helpfully points out.

Red rubs the back of his head again. "But it still hurts. Can't we practice without the violence?"

Pearl looks at Red as if he'd just seen a Dodrio with four heads instead of three. "Why would we do that?"

"Because in general people don't like getting hit?" Red suggests, which seems like quite compelling evidence from his point of view.

"Well, that's no good," Pearl muses.

Red breathes a sigh of relief.

"We'll just have to practice harder until you get used to it!"

Red waves his hands frantically. "That wasn't what I meant —!"

"After all, I've got 107 routines written in that notebook."

Red's heart sinks. "One hundred… and seven?"

"And there's no way we'll get to the hundred-and-seventh if we just stop now. So let's go to the next one!"

Red slumps. Saur laughs at him. "Betrayed by my own Pokémon," Red sulks.

"Speaking of Pokémon!" Pearl says with a grin.

"…Speaking of Pokémon," Red says with a sigh.

"Shinx are Pokémon that live in the Sinnoh region."

"They're Electric-types, right?"

"Yep! They're covered in black-and-blue fur."

Red looks down the road. A Pokémon covered in black-and-blue fur leaps from one of the bushes. Red blinks at it.

Pearl coughs. "Ahem."

Red shakes himself. He steals a glance back at his line. "And their muscles create electricity," he recites, turning his attention back to the Pokémon that just emerged from the greenery. A crackle of electricity arcs from its paw up its leg.

"Did you know that their fur glows when they're in danger?"

The Pokémon suddenly startles and its fur bursts into light. "Huh. Like that?" Red wonders aloud.

Pearl smacks him.

"You're supposed to say, 'So when danger _grows_ , their fur _glows_!'"

"Okay, okay," Red interrupts him before Red gets another smack to the back of the head. "But isn't that a Shinx right there?"

Pearl stops himself. He follows Red's gaze. "Yeah, it is. I wonder what it's doing here?"

"They don't live here normally?"

Pearl shakes his head. "No, usually they stick closer to Jubilife City. Maybe it got separated from its herd?"

With a cry, the Shinx's fur stands on end, and it again flashes with bright light — and then, with fumbling paws, it sprints haphazardly across the road and disappears into the bushes on the opposite side.

"I wonder what that was all about," Red says.

"Who knows," Pearl answers. "Anyway, let's keep practicing."

Red frowns. "Didn't you say that their fur glows when they feel endangered?" Red says — but Pearl has already moved on to the next joke.

"Kricketune live in the Sinnoh region, too," Pearl begins.

Red blinks. Just down the road, a red, bug-like Pokémon leaps from one of the bushes, then vanishes into the bushes on the other side of the road. He knows this Pokémon from the souvenir-slash-torture-device he's foisting on Green as soon as he gets back. "Don't they make music with their arms?" he says, both because it's his line and because somehow the Pokémon in their would-be comedy routine keep appearing like magic.

He almost feels like saying "Mew" aloud just to see what would happen, but that might be getting greedy.

"That's right!" Pearl continues, completely oblivious. "How does their cry go again…?"

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

"…Wow. That was really good," Pearl says, breaking character. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"Huh?" Red answers. "That wasn't me." He checks his backpack for good measure. The Kricketune figurine is mercifully quiet. "Definitely not me."

" _DELELELELEWHOOOOOP!"_

The pair of them look at each other. They look down the road, at what is now a swarm of Kricketune buzzing past them, darting like homing missiles into the bushes that the Shinx had tried to disappear into.

"Something's wrong," Red realizes.

"Huh?"

"You said that Shinx glow when they're in danger," Red says. He's already pulled his gloves back over his wrists and is now making sure the Pokéballs on his belt are secure. "And with all those Kricketune appearing out of nowhere…"

"You think — it's in trouble?"

"We're going after them."

"But… but we can't," Pearl states, and the matter-of-fact tone with which he says it, as if there truly is nothing they can do, stops Red in his tracks.

"What do you mean?" Red wonders. Of course there is something they can do, and Red is about to do it.

Pearl gestures toward the sky, where the sun has begun to hang low. "We're running out of time. If we don't keep moving, it'll be dark before we get to Twinleaf Town."

And his statement is not necessarily wrong. In fact, it's more likely to be correct — Pearl, after all, knows this area better than he. And if Red has learned nothing else over the past few hours, Pearl takes his promises seriously. He did not sign up for any of this. All he wanted was to get home, and Red will make sure that happens. Red does not begrudge him.

"Okay," Red tells him with a nod, then turns to Saur. "Saur. Get Pearl home safe, okay?"

Saur's grunt of acknowledgement is drowned by Pearl's shout. "What?"

"I told you I'd get you home, didn't I? Saur's whip-smart. Pretty handy in a fight, too. He'll make sure you get back in one piece."

"But what about you?"

"That Shinx needs help. I'm going to help it."

Pearl gapes. "You don't know how long it will take. You don't know if there's anything you can do."

All Red does is shrug and offer him a laconic smile. "You're right. There's a lot I don't know. But there is one thing that I do know. And it's that I won't be able to live with myself if I sat on the sidelines when there's something I could've done to help." Red pops one of his Poké Balls open. Pika materializes and perches on his shoulder, cheeks already crackling.

Red adjusts his cap. He turns back to look at the boy, still kneeling on Saur's back, but kneeling toward him, as though Red is going to disappear. Red shrugs again, a bit knowingly, a bit self-deprecatingly, because while Pearl may not have signed up for this, nine long years ago, Red had.

"And," Red adds, finally. "I guess I don't do anything halfway, either," he tells Pearl, and with one last look at Pearl's dropped jaw, he and Pika disappear into the underbrush.

* * *

The Shinx is trapped.

Behind it sits a Snorlax-sized slab of stone, too tall to surmount and too wide to circumvent. And in front of it, arms clicking, wings buzzing, and low rumbles rolling out like a bass drum, stand approximately two dozen Kricketune. Between a rock and a hard place, indeed.

Red and Pika watch the scene, concealed behind a thick tree. Its back against the stone, the Shinx is hissing and spitting, which is less than intimidating when it stands only a foot tall and when it's outnumbered twenty-four to one. Red and Pika are outnumbered too, which is why Red is waiting, for now. The Kricketune have not yet made a move, and Red wants to preserve any advantage he can get, even if it is only the element of surprise.

From his shoulder, Pika mutters passive-aggressively. The ratio is more aggressive than passive.

"Yes, I know you can take them, Pika," Red mutters back. "But we have to keep the Shinx safe, too."

Pika huffs, as if to say that he _knows_ that.

Red considers his options. First, he somehow needs to get between the Shinx and the Kricketune. Then, he needs to figure out how to take out the Kricketune without hurting the Shinx. Targeting all the Kricketune at once risks the Shinx as collateral damage. But targeting each one individually means a drawn-out battle against a foe with superior numbers. Neither sounds appealing.

With an agitated cry, one of the Kricketune takes a step toward the Shinx. The Shinx's hackles raise, and it gives a warning yowl. Electricity snaps up its legs. The Kricketune ignores it. Electricity crackles. The Shinx snaps a bolt of electricity toward the Kricketune: another warning, and another warning ignored.

Red has only a few seconds' notice before it happens. The air around him seems to be set on fire, and he feels his hair stand on end. The Shinx cries out, and a blast of electricity surges at one of the Kricketune. But the aim is off, and with a sound like the crack of a whip, it instead pierces the bark of the tree Red and Pika are hiding behind. Shards of bark go flying, and Red leaps for cover with a yelp.

Unfortunately for Red, there is no other cover. And also unfortunately for Red, all twenty-four Kricketune are now staring at him and Pika with black, unblinking eyes.

Red grunts. "Guess it's Plan B, then."

Pika needs no further urging. Pika leaps from Red's shoulder, then calls forth a Thundershock that chars the first Kricketune black. Pika promptly bounces off its head, landing an Iron Tail from above on a second Kricketune before using the recoil to land like an acrobat between the Shinx and the Kricketune. Pika growls and his cheeks sizzle. The message is clear: If the Kricketune want the Shinx, they'll have to go through Pika first.

Naturally, this means the Kricketune decide to target Red instead.

"Gack!" Red shouts, diving out of the way of what looks like a Slash. Another Kricketune vibrates its body. Red is forced to cover his ears and take shelter behind a tree as a screeching noise makes Red's bones shake. Good thing that he ducked, too — because the next X-Scissor cuts the tree trunk neatly in half and would have also neatly cut Red in half if he wasn't already bent over in a crouch.

But it does, at least, give Red enough time to release Poli, who proceeds to land an Ice Punch on the nearest Kricketune, enough to knock it out. A second Ice Punch does in another — which means there are _merely_ twenty Kricketune remaining.

The Kricketune seem to sense the threat now posed by the newcomers, because they scatter apart, most scuttling for the cover of the undergrowth and leaving only a few in the clearing where Pika is standing guard over a still wary-looking Shinx. Pika turns to each of the remaining Kricketune in turn, as if daring them to get any closer. The Kricketune who have stood their ground look uncertain, glancing to each other and then to Pika warily.

Red takes advantage of their momentary distraction, and Poli leaps forward to knock out the closest Kricketune with a Mega Punch. Pika growls, jealous of Poli stealing his mark, and proceeds to launch a Thunderbolt of his own. Between the two of them, they manage to make short work of the five Kricketune who have decided to stick around. Silence descends on the clearing.

Red breathes a sigh. He cautiously approaches the Shinx, who shrinks away from him.

Red kneels and holds up his hands. "Easy there. We're not here to hurt you. Just want to get you back safe to your pack. Okay?"

The words are only just out of Red's mouth when a screech reverberates through the clearing. Red grimaces and covers his ears. Next to him, Poli and Pika both instantly look on edge.

Red whirls around to face the trees. A Kricketune quickly disappears behind a trunk. Another flash of an oblong orange body — and Red abruptly realizes that the other Kricketune haven't fled at all. They've only retreated to the shelter of the trees, where they are now launching long-range attacks from the safety of the underbrush. And while Red's position has improved — he only has to focus on defending one position instead of two — so has that of the Kricketune, who now have the advantage of terrain. They'll have to take the offense to the Kricketune.

"Pika, stay put for now," Red decides, just as another vibrating noise pierces the air. "Poli and I will head to the — yipes!"

A pulse of electricity zips past. Poli only narrowly dodges.

"Watch it, Pika!" Red growls — but Pika scoffs back at him, as if to say the electrical attack hadn't come from him. Which, if it didn't, means that it came from one of the Kricketune in hiding, and _okay_ , Pokémon can learn some weird moves, Lapras can learn Psychic and maybe Kricketune have some sort of gland that generates electricity, it's not _that_ uncommon.

What _is_ uncommon is for that attack to be followed up by a dark burst of energy that sails just over Red's shoulder and sends fragments of the rock behind him flying. Red would have called it a Dark Pulse, but the number of Bug-type Pokémon that can learn both Thunderbolt _and_ Dark Pulse is very close to zero. And when that attack is followed up by what looks to be a Bubble Beam, Red's pretty sure that number is no longer close to zero — it's just zero.

"This is ridiculous," Red grunts, right as Poli takes the brunt of what should be, but can't possibly be, an Aura Sphere. They're taking attacks from all directions with no hint as to where, or even what, attack is coming next. Poli shakes himself, then braces himself for whatever incoming fire is about to be launched, because at this point, Red may as well spin a roulette wheel. Everything seems entirely random.

Red freezes. Random?

"Metronome," he realizes with a despairing groan. Having seen Blue's Pokémon in action, Red knows all too well that Metronome is just as capable of dropping a meteor as it is of blowing up in the user's face. The move is unpredictable, and that unpredictably makes it unreliable. All it takes is one accidental invocation of Splash to create an opening for the opponent to counterattack.

And more than likely, one Kricketune has already ended up using Splash. The problem is that there are fourteen other Kricketune, all hiding in the undergrowth, and at least one of them will end up pulling off an Aeroblast before they're through. Red does not want to be here when that happens.

A rustling to Red's right gives away one of the Kricketune — it barrels toward them in what looks like a Double-Edge, but Pika manages to intercept it with a Thunder Wave, causing it to lock up and tumble to the ground. Poli finishes it off with an Ice Beam — then manages to evade a Metronome-summoned Psywave. Fourteen to go.

Unfortunately, the Kricketune seem to have decided to pick up the pace. Red doesn't have time to wonder if they've managed to create a Trick Room before a Flamethrower scorches Red's shoulder. Red hisses in pain. Pika cries out — which leaves him open to the Mud Bomb that's just been lobbed in their direction.

"Pika, look out!" Red tries to warn him, but it comes too late. The attack explodes, and although Red sees it coming and manages to cover his eyes with his arm, Pika is left trying to paw the caked dirt away and recover some semblance of vision.

Red grits his teeth. He can't take the offensive — they are still outnumbered, and they can't leave the Shinx alone to defend itself. But how can he plan a counterattack if Red has no idea what attack to counter?

"Bullet Seed to your left!"

Red jerks his attention in that direction. A Kricketune has revealed itself; and no sooner does it do so than it launches its attack. A flurry of seeds shotguns toward Poli; but the warning gives Poli ample time to dodge and retaliate with an Ice Beam that freezes the Kricketune solid on the spot.

"Nice going, Poli," Red cheers. "But who —"

Red's unfinished question is answered when Saur stampedes into the clearing with a roar, a pair of Kricketune caught in his vines, dangling like a pair of poorly coordinated marionettes, before Saur flings them away and into the forest as if sending them into time-out. Saur huffs, evidently self-satisfied. And if Saur is here…

Pearl drops triumphantly from Saur's back, except he loses his balance halfway through and stumbles as soon as his feet hit the ground. Still, he catches himself, and manages to stand before Red with a confident smile.

"Pearl?" Red wonders aloud. "I thought you were going home!"

"I changed my mind," Pearl says simply, as though that should be obvious, and since here he is, standing in front of Red while they are fending off a swarm of territorial Kricketune, Red supposes that is, in fact, obvious. "I thought about what you said. And I —"

A screech rings out. Red doubles over. "Explanations later," he grunts, once the ringing in his ears has subsided. He re-evaluates their situation. Pika is still blinded and Poli is running out of steam. Saur is an excellent reinforcement, but with about a dozen Kricketune remaining, they'll have to make every move count.

"There!" Pearl calls out, pointing at a Kricketune that's just leapt out from under a bush. "That's a Gunk Shot!"

And true to Pearl's words, the nasty conglomerate of chemicals and garbage that the Kricketune launches at them _does_ strongly resemble a Gunk Shot. The forewarning gives Saur the time to grab hold of the projectile with his vines; he instantly returns to sender. The Kricketune crumples to the ground.

"How—?" Red demands.

"Explanations later, right?" Pearl repeats with a half-smile. He scans the trees, then jabs another finger. "That one's going to use Water Pulse."

Red nods at Suar. "You heard him," he says, because Red has no idea _how_ Pearl knows that this particular time Metronome will turn into Water Pulse, but it _does_ , and since Pearl's clairvoyance seems to be working, Red's not about to question it. Poli leaps in front of Saur to take the attack while Saur flings a burst of Sleep Powder that puts down another Kricketune.

The tide begins to turn. With Pearl rattling off the Kricketunes' moves before they can even use them, Red and his Pokémon have more than enough time to dodge and prepare a counter. One Kricketune after another is swatted down. It's not too long before the Kricketune no longer have the numeric advantage, but are now at a numeric disadvantage — and when the last Kricketune finally realizes that it is, indeed the last Kricketune, it titters noisily to itself, takes one last look at the Shinx being sheltered behind Pika's body, and then skitters away into the forest, without even a parting _"DELELELELEWHOOOOP!"_

"…Is that it?" Pearl wonders.

Red nods. "Looks like it. I don't think they'll be coming back anytime soon." He turns to face the Shinx, cautiously emerging from behind the safety of Pika's frame. Red kneels but keeps a respectful distance. "You okay there?" he asks, soothingly.

The Shinx pads a couple of paces closer. It shakes itself, seemingly testing its limbs, then gives a grateful mewl.

Red smiles in relief. "That's good. I'm so glad you're not hurt."

Pika saunters up next to the Shinx and scoffs, as if to say, _of course he's safe; I was guarding him, wasn't I?_

"Never said you weren't!" Red says, holding his hands up in surrender. He turns to Pearl. "Still, Pearl — I don't know if we would've all come out in one piece if it weren't for you."

"Er — I didn't do much, really," Pearl answers, somewhat flustered.

The Shinx snaps his head around to stare Pearl down, approaching Pearl and calling him out with a bark. 

Red grins. "Looks like Shinx thinks you did a little more than that."

Pearl rubs his head. "Well —"

A chorus of yips erupts from the trees. One by one, a sea of teal-and-black faces pop their heads out from behind the bushes. One of them, a larger Pokémon with the beginnings of a mane around its neck, steps into the clearing. It flicks its eyes from Red to Pearl, before finally settling on the Shinx standing behind them. The Shinx yips happily back and darts right past Red and Pearl toward the larger Pokémon.

"I think that's a Luxio," Pearl says.

Red watches the Pokémon as they exchange their greetings. "Looks like they were pretty worried about Shinx, too."

This Luxio is apparently the head of the pack, and it looks Shinx up and down, as though inspecting him for injuries. Then it gives him an affectionate lick on the forehead, which leaves a tuft of fur standing ridiculously upright. And just as quickly as they had appeared, the other Shinx and Luxio vanish back into the bushes. The chief Luxio gives a gruff bark of thanks before following the others; and the Shinx they had saved turns his glance to Red, then allows his gaze to linger on Pearl — and then he disappears with the others.

Red can't help the smile that springs to his face. "All's well that end's well."

Beside him, Pearl gives a nod so minute that Red would've missed it had he blinked.

Red raises an eyebrow at him. "Something bothering you?"

Pearl starts. "No! It's good everything turned out okay. I'm… glad."

Red looks Pearl over. His shoulders are tense; at his side, his hands slowly uncurl and relax themselves. Red leaves his eyebrow raised, but he doesn't pry — he's not Blue.

Instead, Red asks, "How could you tell?"

"Tell what?"

"The Kricketune were using Metronome. It summons a move at random," Red explains, looking Pearl over to gauge his reaction. "I couldn't tell what move was coming next. But you could. How?"

"Oh, that," Pearl says with a shrug, as if it was no big deal, and certainly not as though Pokémon trainers the world over would crawl over broken glass for a skill like that. "When a Pokémon uses a move, they have to prepare for it, right? Even if it comes from Metronome. And since each move is different, every stance is different. So you just have to watch what stance they take to know what move they're going to use."

Red lifts his eyebrows, impressed. "I mean, I knew that Pokémon did that. But it took me years to start recognizing the patterns, and I'm still learning. But you're a natural."

Pearl self-consciously scratches his cheek. "I guess it's a family thing? My dad — I mean, my father — he's a Pokémon trainer, you know. He can do the same thing — I probably got it from him."

Red is struck by realization. "That's how you could tell the Staravia were using Whirlwind. And you knew that Aero and Gyara were going to use Hyper Beam without me saying." Another thought strikes him. "When we were back at the station, were you watching the Indigo League battle?"

"…There wasn't much else to do," Pearl eventually admits, looking somewhere between confused by Red's question and embarrassed by the memory.

"Did you see how the Forretress pulled off the victory?"

Pearl blinks, his face now tilting further toward the confused end of the spectrum. "It used Bide. Forretress took the Zap Cannon, then retaliated for double damage," he states, as though that was obvious, even though the announcer and the entire stadium had made it eminently clear that, to them at least, it was the furthest thing from obvious. Red can't help but be impressed. Red saw it too — but then he had almost a decade of experience as a trainer under his belt, a championship to his name, and a freakishly large number of run-ins with criminal syndicates. And Pearl, ten years his junior with no aspirations to be a trainer, had made the same observation so matter-of-factly that he could be making a remark about the weather, or that Pikachu store electricity in their cheeks.

Red can't help himself. "Why don't you want to be a Pokémon trainer?"

Pearl looks caught off-guard. "Huh?"

"With a talent like that, you'd make a Pokémon trainer to watch out for. You have good instincts, and you know your Pokémon moves like the back of your hand. You'd make a great Pokémon trainer. Why don't you want to do it?"

Pearl blinks at him, as if the answer is obvious. "Because I don't want to," Pearl states, shrugging off the question like a Dewgong shrugging off the cold. "I want to be the best manzai performer in the world, along with my best friend," he says, as if that is simply all there is to it.

And Red blinks dumbly back, because the answer _is_ obvious.

He had gotten too lost in his own head, wondering whether he had an obligation to attend the Indigo League, wondering whether it was time to move on as the world seemed to have moved on. But he had already known the answer — had known it since he was a kid. Because Red has never cared much for convention and never wanted to be tied down to a title. Red has only ever wanted to explore the world with the Pokémon at his side and be the best Pokémon trainer he can be, just like Pearl has only ever wanted to be the best manzai performer he can be; and neither would ever do anything only halfway.

Red doesn't realize he's broken down in laughter until Pearl squawks at him. "Hey! What are you laughing at?" Pearl demands.

Red catches himself. He shakes his head and waves Pearl off with a lingering smile. "No, it's nothing you said. It's just — I remembered something I'd forgotten."

Pearl stares skeptically back at him.

Red shakes his head, but it is only to himself this time. "You'll be a great manzai comedian. I know it," Red tells him. And that is simply all there is to it.

* * *

"Thank you," Pearl says, suddenly.

They are almost to Twinleaf Town, at least, according to Pearl. The sun hangs low; the sky is a portrait of orange and purple.

"For what?" Red asks in response.

"For everything," Pearl answers, immediately. He frowns. "But especially for back there — with the Shinx."

"I meant what I said," Red answers slowly. "Things might have turned out different had you not showed up."

"That's not what I meant," Pearl says with a shake of his head. "It's that — stopping to see if we could help — I never even thought about it. I was so focused on getting home."

Pearl goes quiet. Red examines him — he looks deep in thought. Red waits.

"But when you said that you couldn't live with yourself if you did nothing… It took me a while to realize it, but I felt the same way. That's when I told Saur to turn around. I'm sorry I didn't realize it before."

Red shakes his head. "You never need to apologize for doing the right thing."

Pearl laughs, seemingly to himself, the sound of a secret joke. "Do you know who you sound like?"

"I really don't."

Pearl laughs again. "You sound like a character from Dia's…" he trails off. Somehow, his deep-in-thought face becomes even more deep-in-thought. Red worries he might drown in it.

"Wait," he mumbles to himself, and turns to stare at Red so hard that Red thinks burn marks might be left in the back of his retinas.

"You have six Pokémon with you," Pearl says.

"Uh. Yes?"

Pearl ticks them off on his fingers. "Aerodactyl… Snorlax… Gyarados… Poliwrath… Venusaur… and your strongest is Pikachu."

"Pika sure ain't Mickey Mouse."

A bolt of realization seems to strike Pearl. He whirls on Red, eyes wide. "You're… you're…!"

Red, ever the optimist, wonders if the third time is the charm.

"You're a huge Proteam Omega fan!" Pearl declares.

And strike three. At this point, Red doesn't bother being surprised.

"Why didn't I see it before?" Pearl babbles. "You have all the Pokémon from the show — and you even talk like the main characters, too!"

Red rubs the back of his head and decides to roll with it. "You're a fan, then?"

"No way," Pearl answers instantly, and despite Red himself not actually watching Proteam Omega, he still somehow feels offended. "But Dia's the biggest Proteam Omega fan ever. I watch with him sometimes. I can't believe you somehow got all the Pokémon from the show to go with you!"

"It just… kinda happened," Red admits.

"I bet you and Dia would get along great. I mean, he's my age, not yours. But it's not like you have to be a kid to like a kid's show. People should be able to like whatever they like."

Red smiles in spite of himself, because this time, Pearl isn't _completely_ wrong.

"Pearl! Is that you?"

"Mom!" Pearl calls out, and rushes toward a woman who's just come out the front door of what is presumably Pearl's house.

"Oh, I missed you!" she says, and crushes Pearl in a tight hug. "I was _so_ worried — I heard the power went out all over Jubilife — and the sun started to set, and you hadn't come home — and I couldn't help but think —" she babbles, ignoring Pearl's protests of "I'm fine you can let go now," and "Please let go now," and "Ow my bones hurt Mom please let go."

Pearl finally manages to extricate himself. "Mom, it's fine, everything's okay. The power went out, so I just had to go above ground. And now I'm here!"

"All this way? By yourself?" Pearl's mom wonders, eyes wider than saucers.

Pearl gestures at Red. "No, Red here helped out a lot."

Red offers a slight wave. "Hello."

Pearl's mom's eyes go wider than wider-than-saucers.

"Pearl… do you know who that is?" she nearly whispers, as though Red was a shiny Pokémon and the slightest noise would scare him off.

Pearl looks offended. "Of course I do. He's Red. He says he's from Kanto and he's a huge Proteam Omega fan, just like Dia. He's super nice and helped me out when I told him that I had to get home, and he's a great Pokémon trainer, too! But he doesn't get my comedy at all. Can you believe he's never heard of manzai?"

Red laughs sheepishly. "I really hadn't."

Pearl's mom examines him as though Red is actually a Ditto doing a very poor Red impression, black pinpoint eyes and all. She shakes her head. "I can't thank you enough for helping my son. I'm just about to put food on the table — feel free to stay for dinner. Or do you need a place to stay for the night?"

Red waves her off. "Thank you for the offer, but I should probably get going. There's still a lot I want to do."

"I see. Well, you are always welcome here."

"I know!" Pearl interrupts her. "Have you been to Lake Verity?"

Red shakes his head.

"You should visit since you're already here — it's only a fifteen-minute walk that way. If you leave soon, you still have time to see it before the sun goes completely down. And sunsets over Lake Verity are the best."

And since Red's plans have already been shot through with more holes than he count, Red figures, what is one more?

Pearl is right: Lake Verity at sunset is beautiful. The orange in the sky has faded, and stars have begun to peek out from underneath the blanket of night. Volbeat and Illumise flutter over the lake, the ethereal glow from their tails flitting to and fro in a wordless waltz. From the trees, nests of Starly chirp their goodnights. From the woods, a Kricketune composes a languid lullaby. Red watches the waves of the lake roll up to the shore in their own rhythmic melody.

Yes, Pearl had been right — about this, and about many things.

A gleam of light catches Red's eye. It's not the twinkle of the stars up above, nor is it the subtle glow of the Pokémon, and not even the soft reflection from the water's surface. The light gleams again, and Red follows it this time to its origin, the center of the lake. Red watches it, something bright and hard and yet somehow familiar, like a distant relative, seemingly shining even brighter with Red's recognition, and then brighter yet again, bursting out toward the shore of the lake like a supernova.

Red covers his eyes. Everything is white — and then just as suddenly the light is gone, and everything is still again.

The ringing of his Pokégear gradually brings Red back to his senses. He tentatively reaches to pick it up.

"Hello?" he breathes, as if speaking would shatter the moment like glass.

"Red?" Green's voice answers. "You sound out of breath. Are you okay?"

Red stares out over the lake. The stars are still there, and so is the night sky. The water still rocks back and forth in the lake; the chorus of Pokémon cries still floats in the air. Everything is as it was, except for that bright light, which is now gone, as if never was.

"…Red? Are you there?" Green's voice prods him.

Red realizes he's standing, even though he doesn't recall standing up. "Yeah, I'm here. I'm okay." He shakes himself, then sets himself back down by the shore of Lake Verity, clutching at the memory as if it was smoke. "Two calls in one day? What's the occasion?"

There's a pause — Green is apparently deciding whether to dig or not. But he evidently decides against it, because he sighs, and then says, "The occasion, as always, is you getting yourself into trouble."

"What makes you think I'm getting myself into trouble?"

Green clears his throat. " _Red-Handed Red: Champion Caught In Petty Theft._ "

"Oh."

" _Witnesses See Red as Indigo League Champion Questioned._ "

"Er —"

" _Champion Red Causes Power Outage in Jubilife_ —"

"Hold up!" Red protests. "That one wasn't me!"

There is a lengthy pause on the other end. "…So the other ones _were_ you?"

"No, that wasn't me, either!"

There is a lengthier pause. "…But you just said —"

Red groans. "It's a long story and a bigger misunderstanding. I got it cleared up."

"So you don't need me to bail you out?"

Red huffs. "If I needed to be bailed out, I wouldn't call you, I'd call Blue."

"…That's fair," Green concedes. Red hears the shuffling of papers on the other end. "But besides having your face plastered in the tabloids and being accused of criminality, how was your day?"

The day's events come back to Red in a rush. "It didn't go how I thought it would," he admits.

"Is that a good thing?"

Red grins. "It's a better thing." Red pauses, gazing out over the lake. "There's so much in the world to see," he murmurs.

Green hums in mutual acknowledgement, then goes quiet. Red lets the silence last, because even though nothing lasts forever, Red wants to capture this moment like a snapshot and carry it with him like a charm.

"I think I'm going to keep traveling for a while. Around Sinnoh, I mean," Red finally says. He thinks he will probably keep traveling for a while beyond Sinnoh, too.

"The number of souvenirs you owe me increases exponentially the longer you stay."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I won't forget," Red says, and it's a good thing that Green can't see him, because he can't help the wicked grin that comes to his face.

"And don't forget to tell me about the Pokémon, too," Green continues. "I want to see if there are any differences between the Pokémon that are native to both Kanto and Sinnoh."

"I'm not your research assistant."

"But you _are_ my friend."

Red grumbles wordlessly, because he knows a guilt trip when he sees one, and is still powerless to resist. "Fine, I'll keep an eye out."

"I appreciate the help. So… See any native Sinnoh Pokémon yet?"

Red smiles and stares up at the stars. "Well…" he trails off.

"Well?"

"Speaking of Pokémon…"

**Author's Note:**

> When I first started drafting this fic, I was so sure that Kricketune could learn Metronome. But I wanted to cover all my bases, so I went ahead and checked Bulbapedia, and... _Welp_. I know the Japanese translation is more accurately "wag finger" or something like that, but Kricketune's a _conductor_ Pokémon and the move is called _Metronome_ so it makes perfect sense and I didn't want to rewrite the scene and _please just let me have this_
> 
> By the way, if you're looking for writing prompts, I've found that "Dia and Pearl's comedy routine but with other characters" is a _very_ good one.


End file.
